Worn Me Down
by davis-baker
Summary: Set after The Ties That Bind. Seth leaves but this time he doesn't come back. Summer has a little secret. Ten years later they are both brought back to Newport. What happens when they are forced to meet again and all their secrets come out? Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Worn Me Down

**A/N - Ok, I'm like crazy. I have so many stories going on right now, this being my 6th in progress, not including the 3 that I am not sure of continuing yet. So that's a lot for me to update, regardless if I continue those three or not, but I promise I'll try my best to update my stories. **

**Anyways, on to this story, I'm sure that there are like a bunch of stories that are like this one that I'm starting now, (following 'The Ties That Bind', where Summer find out she's pregnant while Seth is gone), but I really wanted to write one, so please give this story a chance. If you don't like it, then just tell me that in a review and I won't continue. If you do like it, then also, tell me that in a review. For most chapters in this story I plan to have part of the chapter be present time and then a flashback, going back around the time when Summer first finds out she's pregnant and stuff like that (Basically flashing back to the time that 'The Ties That Bind' was set in).**

**So enough of my rambling, please enjoy and review! Thanks!**

**Oh, right, by the way, italics mean it's a flashback!**

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Chapter 1 -

"Have a good day at school, Sam. Bye." Summer Roberts said as her nine-year-old daughter, Samantha slammed the car door shut, walking towards her school. Summer put the car in drive and sighed, not really looking forward to another day at boring work.

Summer Roberts drastically changed since the year of 2004. No longer was she the Summer who only cared about good looks and fashion, but she was now the Summer that cared about being a good mother to her daughter. If somebody in her highschool class were to ask her where she could see herself being in the year of 2013, Summer's prediction would definitely be different from the real answer. Because there was no way she would of said, 'Hmmm...2013...I see myself living in Florida raising my nine-year-old daughter by myself.' Nope, definitely not an answer the old Summer Roberts would say. So what happened? What made Summer Roberts- fashion expert, turn into Summer Roberts- super mom? Two words, or actually two nouns in this case...

...Seth Cohen...

_Sixteen- year -old Summer walked up the stairs leading to the Cohen's doorstep. She knew Seth was down due to Ryan's departure so she figured he would need a little cheering up. Using her left hand, her right -hand being occupied by Princess Sparkle, she rang the doorbell._ _After a few seconds of standing there, Kirsten finally opened the door. Summer was taken aback by Kirsten's facial expression, never had she ever seen Kirsten Cohen this upset. If Kirsten was this upset about Ryan, Summer could only wonder how Seth would be like. _

"_Hey Mrs. Cohen," Summer said sympathetically, "I'm sorry about the whole thing with Ryan. It must be hard. Um...I was wondering if I can see Seth."_

"_Summer," Kirsten was able to mumble, "Please. Come in." _

"_Is everything okay?" _

"_I was going to call you...it's about Seth." Kirsten said quietly, motioning for the young girl to take a seat._

"_Did something happen? Is he okay?"_

"_He left this for you." Kirsten said, extending her hand which held a letter._

"_Where is he?" Summer asked, not accepting the letter just yet. _

"_I don't know." Kirsten said as she began to sob._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Here." Kirsten once again held out the letter, this time, Summer accepted. _

"_Oh my god," Summer said after she finished reading, tears forming in her eyes. She had to read the letter a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. He left? He left!, "No..." She mumbled under her breath._

"_Summer..." Kirsten started._

"_I um..I gotta go." Summer said quickly, snatching the envelope off the coffee table, slamming the door shut as she left. _

_Once she was outside, she leaned up against the door, taking a deep breath, letting everything sink in. Seth Cohen, her boyfriend, the guy she had started falling in love with left. He left her. Just leaving a stupid letter! She now let her tears that were bottled up inside her fall down._

_After a few minutes, she got herself together, furiously wiping away the tears with her sleeve. No, she was not going to cry over Seth Cohen. She's Summer Roberts, somebody way better than a stupid geek. She would be just fine without Cohen, just fine. Right?_

"Sorry I'm late. Sam got up late." Summer said to her coworker, Lisa, as she sat down at her desk.

Summer works as a secretary for a small company in Florida. The only reason she took the job at first was to make money to support her and her daughter. But over the years she gained much more than money, she gained a family from there.

"Oh that's ok. Hey, are you okay? You look a bit stressed."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"All right, well, you know you can tell me anything."

"Yeah, I know," Summer sighed, "Thanks. It's Samantha...lately she's been asking about her father. And that's sorta a touchy subject, ya know?"

"Oh, wow. Yeah. Well, maybe it's time you told her about him."

"Maybe," Summer said as she rummaged through her drawer, she then came across a letter, _the _letter, "Maybe."

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**A/N - So that's chapter 1. I honestly don't know if it's any good or not so please let me know. Thanks! Also, sorry for the short chapter, I just wanted to introduce the story, future chapters will get longer!** **Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Worn Me Down

**A/N - Thanks for the reviews! This chapter will show what Seth has done with himself over the nine years.**

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Seth Cohen sat on his couch in his Portland home, like usual, half asleep, playing a game on the latest version of playstation. He really hadn't changed over the past few years. Which really isn't something to brag about- he has no job-no friends-nothing. Well maybe a few things had changed. He got extremely lazy and now he had no Summer, not even Ryan, who had returned after a few months, finding out that Teresa had lost the kid, and Seth still refused to return home.

Sandy and Kirsten were furious with him but as time went by, they finally accepted the fact that their son was just not going to go home. They paid for all his needs-and wants, sending him checks with x- amount of money every now and then, at first thinking that maybe if they spoiled him he would finally cave in. But, no, he didn't. They eventually they just gave up. At the moment, Seth and his parents hadn't spoken for a good two months. Both ends don't really know why, just the fact they they've been away for so long. But just because they haven't spoken, doesn't mean the money stops coming in the mail. Every month he receives money from the two for him to live on and for extra things.

Seth hadn't spoken to Ryan in a long time either, longer than the time with his parents. When Ryan left Seth was really mad at him. Though he knew that it really wasn't Ryan's fault, he was just taking responsibility and being mature, something Seth had never been nor is he now. But Seth was just being the normal self-centered Seth, thinking that if Ryan left everyone would forget about him once again, including Summer. When Ryan was thinking about returning to Newport, he stopped by Luke's house, where Seth had been staying. He asked Seth if he would consider going back to Newport. Seth barely spoke but was able to inform Ryan that too much had happened there and he just wouldn't be able to go back. Ryan left it as that and left Seth.

And finally there's Summer. Summer Roberts. Or at least that's what Seth thought, and maybe hoped, that she hadn't gotten married. That even after all these years she held a special place in her heart for her nerdy highschool boyfriend who had broke her heart by sailing away and- okay, maybe it was better if she did forget about him. Or maybe only remembered the good things they shared in their relationship. Seth had to admit, when Ryan came over all those years ago asking Seth to go back there was only one thing, or person really, that made Seth think that maybe, just maybe he should go back. And that was Summer. But then he thought that maybe she hadn't waited for him and he didn't want to take that risk. He already had life without Summer and once you experience life with her, going back to life without her was more painful than the first time. There's not a day that goes by without Seth thinking about the brunette. The way she talks, smiles, laughs, and everything.

_Summer sat on her bed, reading the letter that she received from Kirsten hours ago, for the millionth time_. _By now the paper was all smudged from her crying and it was wrinkled from the many times Summer felt like she just wanted to rip it up, pretending the paper was Seth's face and she actually was taking her anger out at him. But everytime she was about to rip it, she would imagine his adorable smile with dimples and then break down into a fresh round of tears. He hadn't even called her or stopped by to say goodbye! He just left scribbling down a few words on a worthless piece of paper. How could he do this to her? How could he do this to them? As in, the both of them. Their relationship was going practically perfect. They had just gotten over the whole Dr. Roberts scenario and things seemed to be going great. Sure there was the whole issue with their best friends, Ryan and Marissa, but that really didn't have to do with them as a couple, more like the four of them and their friendship. And also, there really wasn't anything they could do about Ryan, Marissa, and Teresa. _

_So why would Seth ruin their relationship. After everything they've gone through this year, why?_

_She picked up a tissue from the box on her bed and wiped away all her tears. That really didn't do much because new ones just kept on pouring out. Who would have thought she would get this worked up over Seth Cohen? Seth Cohen?! The geek of all geeks. And here Summer sat in hysterics over him. Good thing she was no longer friends with Holly and that bunch, otherwise they would of really made fun of her. _

_And where's Marissa? Summer's so-called best friend. She knows Marissa is having tons of problems too, Ryan leaving, moving in with Caleb, but can't they at least cry together. But actually, thinking about, Summer realized this was probably best because a crying session with Marissa these days would probably consist of drinking alcohol. And Summer totally doesn't need a hangover this minute. Maybe she should call him...Though he didn't have the decency to call her, he totally should have, maybe she should just see why he left. But maybe she shouldn't. What if he just made her more upset. 'Just make up your mind already!' She told herself. _

_So she opened up her cell phone and quickly dialed his number. _

_Ring...Ring_

"_Summer..." He said into the phone hesitantly. _

"_Where the hell are you Cohen?" Summer screamed into the phone on the verge of tears. _

"_Um...Portland..."_

"_Portland? Why the hell are you in Portland!?"_

"_Because I needed to leave, Summer. Look, I'm fine if that's why you're calling."_

"_Ya know, Cohen? I didn't call because I was scared about you. Because honestly, you should have called me to see how I am doing. I called to see why you left. And why you didn't tell me you were leaving," She asked, now really crying, "I mean, was I that horrible when we were dating? You were probably just dying to breakup with me and this thing just came at the right time..." _

"_No, Summer, that's not it..."_

"_Oh, really? Because you haven't given me one reason yet!" _

"_Summer...it's just, I used to live a life without you, and then you came into my life, but once Ryan left I knew that I would be leaving a life without you again and it would be more painful because now I know what it's like to have a life with you."_

"_What? That makes no sense..." _

"_What I'm trying to say is that if I stayed, once Ryan left, things would go back to the way they were before Ryan got here. You ignoring me. I just wouldn't be able to deal with that again."_

"_Cohen, you know that's not true. I wouldn't do that to you."_

"_That's what you say now, but you really know that's what would have happened."_

"_Seth," She said, raising her voice, "I would not have ignored you. Not after what we've been through. So many things have changed this year..."_

"_Yeah, and I'm glad I got to be with you for that time...but Summer, we know deep down that you're still the same old Summer from before." _

"_No I'm- wait, what is that supposed to mean?"_

"_It just means-."_

"_Ya know what? I don't wanna know. Now you really will know what a second time without Summer feels like-."_

"_No wait, please don't hang-." __ But he said that too late, she already hung up._

_How dare he say that to her? Had he really had no faith in their relationship from day one? That just didn't seem like him._ _She felt her phone vibrate in her hand, looking at the caller i.d. that read 'COHEN'. She just placed the phone on her bed, wiped her tears away, and stood up. She would be fine without him, just fine. _

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**A/N - Please review! I think in the next chapter you will find out what brings them both back to Newport. **


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